Golf tee



April 9, 1929 w. J. PARROTT ET AL GOLF TEE Filed April 13, 1928 gwuwntozWJParro/f ji'uz ialf Hagen Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,708,774 PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM J. PABROTT AND RUDOLIHAGEN, 0F MASON CITY, IOWA.

GOLF TEE.

- Application filed April 13, 1928.

The present invention relates to improvements in golf tee, and has foran object to provide a tee that may be conveniently carried about, willnot be apt to become lost and will admit of inexpensive manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tee that, whileresiliently and yieldably supporting the ball, will at the same timeresist free rotation about its point of attachment in the ground,whereby the ball will be held fixedly in place and will not move on thegolfer during the course of his back swing because of Wind or otherconditions. I

A further, object of the invention is to provide a tee support for theball which will hold the ball resiliently in both horizontal andvertical directions, and which will act as a measuring gauge todetermine the distance the ball is raised from the ground.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particu larly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an im-' Referring more particularly tothe drawings, 5 designates a pin, sharpened at its free end tofacilitate -insertion into the ground shown in Figure 1. This sharpenedand elongated pin 5 is formed at one end of a single strand of resilientwire, at the other end of which is-provided the elongated ball carryingor supporting arm 6 which extends at substantially right angles to thedirection of length of the pin 5.

At the free end of the arm 6 is a loop 7 or other form of support forthe olf ball indicated at 8 in dotted lines in igure 1. Between the pin5 and arm 6, or at the intermediate portion of the wire strand, the wireis wound into a helix 9 consisting of an appropriate number ofconvolutions. The arm 6 Serial No. 269,825.

comes tangentially off the helix or more particularly speaking off theuppermost convolution or coil. The pin 5 comes off the lower convolutionor partial convolution and the upper end of the pin is coupled to thelowermost convolution by a radial or diametric shank 10.

As shown in Figure 3 the upper end of the pin 5 is preferably disposedwithin the helix or above the lowermost convolution, whereby to providea depression 11 for receiving a portion of the uneven ground surface.

In the use of the device, the tee assumes the position shown in Figure 1when in use, with the pin extending down substantially vertically intothe ground, and with the helix 9 and arm 6 above the ground.

The helix 9 spaces the arm 6 at the requisite height for supporting theball in favorable position to be driven by the golfer. In this respectthe helix acts as a measuring gauge in addition to its function ofimparting resiliency to the arm 6. The arm 6 ma rock both vertically andhorizontally and t 1e ball is yieldably supported, which is desirableafter the ball is hit, as the club head on the proper descending strokewill strike the loop 7 and tend to shift the arm 6. While thefasttraveling club head will accomplish the displacement of the arm 6very readily, the construction of the bottom of the helix 9 is such thatthe arm 6 will resist rotation in ordinary circumstances. The device isdriven into the ground by applying pressure, for instance of the thumbto the upper portion of the helix. H

Suflicient pressure is preferably exerted to drive the notch 11 downfirmly into the ground and to slightly or wholly embed the transverse ordiametric shank 10. Due to the constructions 10 and 11 and the fact thatthe pin 5 is eccentric to the helix, requiring the whole lower portionof the helix to shift eccentrically againstthe ground surface when thearm 6 is rotated about the axis of the helix, any such rotation in thearm will be arrested and wind, for instance, even though blowing at ahigh rate of speed, will not have the effect to swlng the ball about onthe tee, but the tee will hold the ball firmly in the set .positionuntil the ball is driven.

in the direction of the ball on the shank 10.

The fingers may be simply inserted beneath the arm 6 adjoining the helixand the device pulled from the ground. The device is inexpensive tomake, readily portable and easily put in position.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in thedetails of construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof,such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is 1. An improved golf tee composed of a single strandof resilient wire comprising a pin at one end of the wire for insertionin the ground, a helix adjoining the pin and extending for a distanceabove'the ground, and a ball carrying arm extending from the upper endof the helix and spaced above the ground and resiliently supported bysaid helix.

2. An improved golf tee compr sing an attaching pin, a ball carryingarm, and a helix formed with said pin and arm for engaging the ground tosupport the arm resiliently in spaced relation above the ground.

3. An improved golf tee made from a single strand of resilient wirecomprising a ball carrying arm having a looped free end portion tosupport the ball above the ground, a

pin atthe other end of the wire for insertion into the ground, and ahelix formed by the intermedlate portion of the wire between said armand pin, the lower convolution of the helix adapted to strike theground, the upper convolution of the helix forming a head by which thepin may be pushed into the ground, said arm coming off the upperconvolution, pin being eccentric to the axis of the me 1x.

4. An improved golf tee made from a sin- I ing arm coming off the upperend of the helix i at substantially an acute angle to the shank,

said arm having a looped free end remote from the helix to resilientlysupport the ball both vertically and 'horizontall In testimony whereofwe a x our signatures.

WILLIAM J. PARROTT. RUDOLF HAGEN.

